Rising Leaders Series: Making Your Own Human Capital
A Reflection from Kathleen Taylor on Life, Business and Success
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Thriving in today’s job market requires both knowledge and improvement of your unique skills set. Join Kathleen Taylor, RBC Chair and one of the most powerful women in Canada, as she shares insights on her journey to the boardroom, and how we can empower ourselves to reach our full potential.
Photos from past Rising Leaders Series
Left to right: guests; Nitin Kawale, President, Enterprise Business Unit at Rogers and Arlene Dickinson, CEO of Venture Communications; Greg Taylor, Co-Founder of Steam Whistle Brewing; guest; John Stackhouse, Senior VP at RBC, Michael Hyatt, Executive Chairman and Co-Founder of Bluecat Networks and Ronald Dekker, Executive Sales and Business Development Leader at Cisco Systems Canada; and guests.
Kathleen P. Taylor, Chair of the Board, Royal Bank of Canada, and Co-Chair of the C.D. Howe Institute Human Capital Policy Council
Kathleen (Katie) Taylor is Chair of the Board of RBC. She has served on the Board since 2001, where she has chaired the Human Resources and Corporate Governance Committees, and served on the Audit and Risk Committees. She is also Chair of the Board of the Sick Kids Foundation and a member of the Board of Trustees for the Hospital for Sick Children.
Ms. Taylor is a director of the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, where she serves on the Audit and Human Resources Committees, a director of the Adecco Group, where she serves on the Audit Committee, and a director of Air Canada where she serves on its Audit, Finance and Risk Committee, the Pension Committee, and the Governance and Corporate Matters Committee.
Ms. Taylor is the former President and Chief Executive Officer of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. During her 24-year career with the iconic global company, she held a number of senior leadership roles and was instrumental in building the firm’s global brand and its international portfolio of luxury properties.
Her many accolades for business achievement include the Schulich School of Business Award for Outstanding Executive Leadership and the inaugural Medal for Career Achievement from the Hennick Centre for Business and Law at York University. She has been inducted into the Canadian Marketing Hall of Legends and was named one of Canada’s Most Powerful Women by the Women’s Executive Network (WXN) in 2011 and 2014. In 2016, Ms. Taylor was made a Member of the Order of Canada.
Ms. Taylor has an MBA and an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from the Schulich School of Business, a law degree from Osgoode Hall Law School and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) from the University of Toronto.
Ms. Taylor is a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council of the Schulich School of Business, a member of the Principal’s International Advisory Board of McGill University and a member of the C.D. Howe Institute’s National Council where she co-Chairs the Human Capital Policy Council.
Ms. Taylor lives in Toronto with her husband and has three grown children.
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